S01.E01: July 13, 1985

[secnarf]

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A new team assembles to restart the Quantum Leap project. Lead physicist Ben Song takes an unauthorized leap into 1985 as the team scrambles to figure out what happened and how to get him back.

Original air date: Sept 19 2022

[Chaos Theory]

Ok here we go.   We already have an overriding mystery and references to both Sam and Al.

I actually like the dual sides of the story. We are watching Ben in the past and we are watching his team react to it in the present

The plot thickens. Addison was brought on the project to be the leaper Ben was supposed to be the holographic guide  Addison as the leaper would have REALLY pissed “the show hasn’t even started but I hate it anyway” HATERS off.

The story itself was functional.  It was actiony but also sold the idea that Ben was basically a good dude who wanted to help the guy he was sent to help.  And Ben's relationship with Addison worked for me.  

[stonehaven]

Ben and Addison worked for me but the rest? Ehh...although the shout out to Al at the end was cool. If the show is going into the "hacker code/mystery" to bring him back stuff, I might give it up as that stuff bores me.

I will say the very idea that the project would be abandoned and someone would deliberately walk away from trying to bring Sam home, royally pissed me off...as it goes against some of the cannon of the original series. I'm hoping  for a memtion of Sammy Jo....

The cast seems like a casting director's checklist of all the "right" types but we'll see if they gel a bit more...

I'll give it a few more episodes but unline "Ghosts" and "Only Murders" I wasn't sitting there thinking "Wow, when is the next one???"

[Giuseppe]

I mean...I wanted to like it. But I didn't. I didn't hate it, either, but I didn't think it was very good. I'll give it a few more eps though to see if it finds  a groove because I know how pilots can be. But I feel like people who didn't watch the original would've dismissed this after the first act. 

I'm gonna ramble a bit here, but this missed a lot of marks, IMO. One being casting. I didn't feel much chemistry between any of the cast members, particularly Ben and Addison, and honestly I thought the acting was pretty lacking. For someone who lost his memory during the leap, Ben sure did accept the circumstances pretty quickly. There weren't enough WTF reactions from him after Addison showed up and tried to explain what was happening. Just seemed they skipped a few beats. The cut from the party to Ben walking into the accelerator with no explanation was kinda jarring. And I think overall everything looked and felt kinda low-budget.

I hope it gets better. The previews did look fun.

Now I wanna go back and watch the pilot of the original because I actually don't think I ever saw it.

Edited September 20, 2022 by Giuseppe

[KaveDweller]

I liked it well enough. I didn't love it but they had a lot to set up. I like the twist of the person helping Sam be Al's daughter. It ties it to the original more than just saying they are a continuation of the last project. Not sure I like so much emphasis on the people in the present timeline. What worked for the original show was how Sam was so isolated and we were essentially seeing things through his eyes.

I think there are some interesting aspects they can explore in future episodes. Sounds like since Addison was supposed to be the leaper she is trained in lots of practical stuff that she can help Ben with. And there will eventual be the reveal to Ben that he and Addison are engaged. I also want to know if they will bring up that Sam once leaped into Magic. 

What I find depressing though, is when I saw the original ending about Sam never coming home, I always pictured that even though he was leaping, Al was still helping him. Now we now that's not the case and the project was abandoned. 

I did like it ending with Ben's "Oh, Sh....." as a nod to Sam's "Oh, boy!"

[Amethyst]

It wasn't bad.  I thought the leads were pretty, but lacking in charm or personality.  Hope that improves.

I'm guessing that the big secret of Ben's is to find Sam.  A good way to link the old series with this one.  It would also explain why Al's daughter is invested in the project.  

19 minutes ago, stonehaven said:

The cast seems like a casting director's checklist of all the "right" types but we'll see if they gel a bit more...

I thought the exact same thing.

[Skooma]

Disappointing pilot.  I think it is a big mistake to have the hologram person also be the love interest.  Too much soap opera angst.  Al was sometimes -- well, a lot -- over the top but he brought much needed levity and quirkiness to the original.  This version is going in the wrong direction imo with the lost lovers motif.  I don't care about them.  I care about the SF premise/plot line.  Also the hologram lover woman is bland and boring and Ben isn't much better.

And I don't like the extra layer of amnesia especially since Ben instantly seems fine when he learns he is time traveling and adapts right off except he can't remember the one lone detail about the love of his life.  Again, this show should not be turned into a damn soap opera imo let alone one that makes no sense at all.

Also at the end we are told (black end card) Sam Beckett died in 2021.  I did read that right, correct?  (And how would the current leaper team know that anyway)?  In the show they mention Al died in 2021 (as in died "last year" after id'ing this is 2022 in convo about daughter).  So these leaps are about both Sam and Al dying in same year?  Coincidence not?  Is that the year Ben is trying to get back too or way before 2021?

I'll try one more episode but if this is par for the course I have a feeling this show will get canceled before they find/save/return/whatever Sam Beckett yet again.  I hope they kill off the love interest right away and sub in Al's daughter and make her as quirky as her dad and her be the hologram person.  Maybe that could save the show.  But the actor playing that part needs to have some presence on screen unlike the current hologram woman.

[possibilities]

I guess I'm going to watch this, at least a few episodes. I never saw the original, so I can't compare them, but I've been meaning to find it because it always sounded like a good concept.

But this episode was kind of bad, I thought. All the actors sounded like they were reading flatly off cue cards and not really in the moment. And I didn't really care about any of them. I didn't feel anything. It was like all of them were bored, and just kind of hitting their marks, so I felt disconnected from it, too.

I'm also tired of stories that rely on secrets kept from people who are supposed to be close. It irritates me.

I hope it gets better. I want to like it.

Also, the actor who plays the lead is also on Kevin Can F*** himself, which also aired tonight. So that was a bit of a headspinner for me, seeing him in two different roles in the same evening. Not a problem, just something I noticed. 

[Maximoose]

11 minutes ago, Skooma said:

Also at the end we are told (black end card) Sam Beckett died in 2021.  I did read that right, correct?  (And how would the current leaper team know that anyway)?  In the show they mention Al died in 2021 (as in died "last year" after id'ing this is 2022 in convo about daughter).  So these leaps are about both Sam and Al dying in same year?  Coincidence not?  Is that the year Ben is trying to get back too or way before 2021?

That card was a tribute to the actor who played Al, Dean Stockwell who passed away last year. (2021)

[Maximoose]

I'll chip in my 2c as well;

It felt very clunky to me. The pacing was all over the place.

The first scene may as well have been a credit roll since all it did was introduce characters and the relationship between the two mains, all the while feeling awkward.

One bad cgi scene later and they're all running around in their CSI-esque setpieces doing the usual things you see the lab team or investigators do on other shows, standard fluff of running around and saying things to advance the plot.

The original did have SOME amnesia but his feels like it's only there to fuel relationship drama and the tired tv trope of a breadcrumb mystery(the latter also done by the cryptic phone message at the end)

And the "story of the week"? Forgettable. It was so awkwardly paced (not to mention the cheap backlot scenes) that we forgot who was getting helped the second he walked off-camera.

In the old series, the "story of the week" was more than that. "History was changed for the better" in every episode, just as the impact of each and every story changed Sam a little bit as well (and by effect, us the audience) 

The reason the first show was successful and we all kept watching was that you were immersed in each story, and felt for the characters involved. No details were spared in both scenery and story to fully immerse you in whatever time and place each week was set in. 

I didn't really feel much for this episode to be honest, but I will give it an honest few episode try as many shows take a few tries till they find their footing.

[Skooma]

33 minutes ago, Maximoose said:

That card was a tribute to the actor who played Al, Dean Stockwell who passed away last year. (2021)

Thanks, I definitely misread the card then.

[CeeBeeGee]

I [redacted] loved it. I thought it was great. I loved Ben and Addison's chemistry, I loved the callouts to the original series (so many!), I greatly appreciated the improved special fx--I just loved it. I thought it was very tight. Can't wait for the next episode.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Maximoose said:

I'll chip in my 2c as well;

Basically your cents are mine.  It's not smart enough to be as serious as it was or took itself.  And it's lacking the comedic element to make it fun.

The only genuine laugh I had was when we saw the reflection in the rear view mirror of the guy Ben leaped into.  His wtf? expression was terrific and made me giggle.  I started liking Raymond Lee more the longer it went on but I still want to see more looseness on his part.

Making his leaping guide his fiancee was a mistake because--again--she's serious.  It's all so serious.  She's not going to be suggesting Ben do ridiculous things.  I immediately wished that it were Ian acting as the "guide" as they showed more personality and general joie de vivre. 

I don't mind that they're including the mystery element of trying to figure out what happened to Sam but so much of this felt so generic.  I hope the new showrunners can make something better.

PS: If I were Ben's fiancee, I'd be furious he took my spot as the leaper.

[LoveLeigh]

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

But this episode was kind of bad, I thought. All the actors sounded like they were reading flatly off cue cards and not really in the moment. And I didn't really care about any of them. I didn't feel anything. It was like all of them were bored, and just kind of hitting their marks, so I felt disconnected from it, too.

I hope it gets better. I want to like it.

This was downright awful. The acting is atrocious. And where was the "oh boy?" Did I blink? The main actor is terrible. The other parts are also miscast. This will be canceled. A real amateurish attempt. 

[Lisa418722]

It wasn't great, it wasn't horrible.  The fact that Ben and Addison seemed to spend a lot of time talking when everyone could see and hear him seemed a little off. Sam and Al usually would step away from others if they could.  I did like the scenes at PQL simply because I always wondered what was happening behind the scenes in the original series.  I wonder if Ben is going to try to go back to "Mirror Image" and bring Sam back that way.  But I also figure the show will be canceled before we get to that point because NBC has a habit of canceling shows before giving them a real chance.  

I am glad they said that Sam never returned home (OK, I wish he HAD returned home, but at least they gave that explanation). RIP in Dean and Al.  When they mentioned the ring I was hoping it would be one of Al's daughters so I'm glad to see that part.  

[libgirl2]

I enjoyed it enough to tune in next week because I hope it gets better. I really want to give it a chance. I agree, I don't like his hologram being his fiancee. I think the character of Ian (had to look it up) would have been fun. They look like they could have had a good give and take with Ben. I just knew the mystery character would be connected to Al. I'm interested to see how that goes. 

So yea, I'll watch next week. 

[laredhead]

I'm old enough to have watched the original series when it ran, and I loved it.  I still watch episodes occasionally on one of the cable channels that carries it.  Dean Stockwell and Scott Bakula had a connection from the beginning that was evident to TV audiences.  If you can find the first episode of the original show, watch it, and compare to this new version.

I will give this show a chance, but I fell asleep before it was half over.  Will finish watching it today, but so far it doesn't appeal to me at all.  Maybe I'm just nostalgic for "the good old days" - lol.

[rwlevin]

Okay, small question. Did the writers forget that when Sam leaped, the person he leaped into took his place as well? Why didn't they mention having the time displaced person being at headquarters? Maybe asking them for help and being frustrated because their memory is just as Swiss cheesed as Ben's? Also, where's Sammy Jo? Or Donna?? I feel like they should be there, not just Al's daughter who we know nothing about. 

Other than that, I feel like we didn't spend enough time in Ben's leap to care about anyone. 

[iMonrey]

I mostly liked it, but that's primarily due to the concept itself, and the lead actor. I agree it might have been a mistake to make the hologram his fiance, and the actress playing her is pretty wooden so far. I'm also not sure how I feel about the concurrent story in the present timeline. But it's a pilot and had a lot of table setting to do. That being said:

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Now I wanna go back and watch the pilot of the original because I actually don't think I ever saw it.

I always thought the pilot of the original was a confusing mess, and if you didn't already understand the concept you would have been totally lost. So in comparison I thought they did a better job here. The original pilot started off with Sam waking up as someone else and the audience was just as baffled as he was. There was no present-day story or characters and Al was being very cagey about what info he could reveal to Sam. Also, Sam had no memory whatsoever, so that's consistent with Ben's amnesia in the new version's pilot.

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Okay, small question. Did the writers forget that when Sam leaped, the person he leaped into took his place as well? Why didn't they mention having the time displaced person being at headquarters?

Yeah, they seem to have done away with the waiting room, and I think that's another mistake, because they often got some info from the person Sam was replacing that way. 

[Boofish]

I liked it; thought it was comfort TV.  The part I didn't get is this (and I didn't watch the original version) If he had no idea who he was, when he looked in all mirrors and saw the reflection of  the person he was supposed to be how did he realize he looked different. He couldn't see himself right? He saw the person he "leaped" into. That part made no sense to me. Also of all the things he could go back and do, all the people he could save - why this guy? I am assuming he deviated from the original mission which seems like it would have been saving the Hope Diamond and instead saved someone's life. Even with those big gapping holes, I still enjoyed the show. It had a Timeless feel (a show I really really miss.)

[iMonrey]

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Also of all the things he could go back and do, all the people he could save - why this guy? I am assuming he deviated from the original mission which seems like it would have been saving the Hope Diamond and instead saved someone's life. 

Yeah - this is the part where Al would usually explain that the guy's daughter grew up to be so-and-so, which is why Sam had to save the guy so he could pay for his wife's dialysis and raise his daughter to be whatever she grew up to be. They really failed to explain why it was so important to save this guy's life.

[Skooma]

2 hours ago, Boofish said:

I liked it; thought it was comfort TV.  The part I didn't get is this (and I didn't watch the original version) If he had no idea who he was, when he looked in all mirrors and saw the reflection of  the person he was supposed to be how did he realize he looked different. He couldn't see himself right? He saw the person he "leaped" into. That part made no sense to me. Also of all the things he could go back and do, all the people he could save - why this guy? I am assuming he deviated from the original mission which seems like it would have been saving the Hope Diamond and instead saved someone's life. Even with those big gapping holes, I still enjoyed the show. It had a Timeless feel (a show I really really miss.)

Sy Fy channel has been running some of the original series at times.  Maybe other cable channels or streaming services.  Might be worth a look at a few to get a better feel honestly.  And to see what real chemistry between the two leads should look like as well as the importance of knowing why the Leaper (Sam Beckett in original, Ben in this) needs to save the person he leaps to since he himself can't control the leaps.  Because the mantra in the original was he has to put right what is wrong and the kicker is he finds out WHY he had to do it when the hologram (Al in the original) tells him what happened because of that.  Here we just got that the wife and kid were fine but in the original you might find out the kid grows up to find a  cure for a disease that saves someone else that does something etc etc.

Also this series is already making a big deal about Sam so it would help to get an idea of who he is/was because he may figure into the future of this version.  Not a spoiler, I don't know anything like that.  But they are building up something about Sam already in this pilot.

[Boofish]

18 minutes ago, Skooma said:

Sy Fy channel has been running some of the original series at times.  Maybe other cable channels or streaming services.  Might be worth a look at a few to get a better feel honestly.  And to see what real chemistry between the two leads should look like as well as the importance of knowing why the Leaper (Sam Beckett in original, Ben in this) needs to save the person he leaps to since he himself can't control the leaps.  Because the mantra in the original was he has to put right what is wrong and the kicker is he finds out WHY he had to do it when the hologram (Al in the original) tells him what happened because of that.  Here we just got that the wife and kid were fine but in the original you might find out the kid grows up to find a  cure for a disease that saves someone else that does something etc etc.

Also this series is already making a big deal about Sam so it would help to get an idea of who he is/was because he may figure into the future of this version.  Not a spoiler, I don't know anything like that.  But they are building up something about Sam already in this pilot.

Yeah not that the guys life didn't have value but I was hoping to get some reason other than "reasons."

Thanks. I actually found the original, all seasons, available on one of my streaming services. I know what I'm doing on my upcoming cruise.

[Starchild]

5 hours ago, rwlevin said:

Okay, small question. Did the writers forget that when Sam leaped, the person he leaped into took his place as well? Why didn't they mention having the time displaced person being at headquarters? Maybe asking them for help and being frustrated because their memory is just as Swiss cheesed as Ben's? Also, where's Sammy Jo? Or Donna?? I feel like they should be there, not just Al's daughter who we know nothing about. 

I'm betting they'll use the "new Ziggy OS that nobody understands" to handwave these kind of discrepancies.

4 hours ago, Boofish said:

Also of all the things he could go back and do, all the people he could save - why this guy? I am assuming he deviated from the original mission which seems like it would have been saving the Hope Diamond and instead saved someone's life. 

1 hour ago, Skooma said:

the importance of knowing why the Leaper (Sam Beckett in original, Ben in this) needs to save the person he leaps to since he himself can't control the leaps. 

Speaking of discrepancies, the original premise was that he needs to make a positive change to the life of the person whose body he inhabits. Not some other random guy. In the original, if he was supposed to "save" the guy with the sick wife, he would have leaped into that guy's body, not the undercover cop.

[LoveLeigh]

This seems to be more of an effort to create a "woke" version than to create a series that even remotely follows the masterpiece it is named after. 

[rwlevin]

3 minutes ago, Starchild said:

Speaking of discrepancies, the original premise was that he needs to make a positive change to the life of the person whose body he inhabits. Not some other random guy. In the original, if he was supposed to "save" the guy with the sick wife, he would have leaped into that guy's body, not the undercover cop.

Are you sure? What about the time he leapt into the death row inmate? The guy still got electrocuted. Or what about the guy he leapt into in the first trilogy episode? That guy died in a fire. Or when he was a vampire? 

[Welshman in Ca]

30 minutes ago, Starchild said:

I'm betting they'll use the "new Ziggy OS that nobody understands" to handwave these kind of discrepancies.

Speaking of discrepancies, the original premise was that he needs to make a positive change to the life of the person whose body he inhabits. Not some other random guy. In the original, if he was supposed to "save" the guy with the sick wife, he would have leaped into that guy's body, not the undercover cop.

There were lots of times he didn't jump into the body of the person he was there to help, it depended on the best way to help or who was in a position to help.

[Rose Quartz]

I ended up watching this despite my best intentions, largely to see how much they referenced the original Sam and Al.  My favorite character so far is Ian.  He definitely gives me Al vibes with his quirky clothes and sense of humor.  I'll watch it again if I remember it's on but so far nothing has really piqued my interest.

[Chit Chat]

10 hours ago, Lisa418722 said:

The fact that Ben and Addison seemed to spend a lot of time talking when everyone could see and hear him seemed a little off. Sam and Al usually would step away from others if they could. 

They'll probably get better at disguising their conversations. They're both new to how this works, so I can give the show a pass to stuff like this for now.  Overall, we liked the show.  

17 hours ago, stonehaven said:

I will say the very idea that the project would be abandoned and someone would deliberately walk away from trying to bring Sam home, royally pissed me off...as it goes against some of the cannon of the original series.

Our Federal government is good at abandoning people.   

[CeeBeeGee]

2 hours ago, LoveLeigh said:

This seems to be more of an effort to create a "woke" version than to create a series that even remotely follows the masterpiece it is named after. 

Uh...the original show was extremely "woke," whatever that's supposed to mean. 

[edhopper]

19 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

Uh...the original show was extremely "woke," whatever that's supposed to mean. 

Some people just watch shows to blast them for having a diverse cast. Whatever.

I think the jump plot might have been deliberately simple so that the audience could concentrate on learning about the main cast at Leap Central. We will see if further episodes have a more interesting jump.

Just one major facepalm, even at a Benefit Gala the Hope Diamond would be behind 4 inches of bullet proof glass with at least two armed guards, not out in the open where anyone could grab it.

[possibilities]

4 hours ago, Boofish said:

I actually found the original, all seasons, available on one of my streaming services.

Which streamer has it?

--

So... the person he leaps into... where are they? Do they disappear while he's in there? Do they remember anything when he leaves? It seems like there'd be some ethical issues with borrowing someone's body and this show doesn't even seem to consider the person leaped into.

I liked Timeless a lot. They actually chose where they were going and why, and the adventure was what happened there. Also, the acting wasn't wooden. It was campy at times, but it wasn't dull. 

With this, I feel like the motivations are not shown, and we're being asked to trust some guy who seems to have gone rogue and betrayed his fiancee, and moreover SHE Is supposed to go along with it. What kind of partnership is that? He took her place, he ditched her, and he's not even telling her why. And how did he expect to do his mission if no one was there to guide him? Did he take for granted that she would show up as a hologram even without getting her on board for the mission before he stole her place? What kind of guy is he??? 

[arc]

So Ryan's wife needed medical care and so they ran into financial trouble when her insurance dropped her? This would never have happened under Medicare For All, right? The thing is, in 1985 there already was Medicare For All, effectively, albeit for kidney diseases only, and that was true since 1972. The show somehow picked almost the only disease where financial trouble wouldn't have been an issue. Next time, just use cancer!

Also, the casting and writing somehow feel very CBS-y.  And LA-for-Philly just looked like LA. =/ 

Did the crew rob... a bank to steal C4???? Shouldn't a heist gang be well funded enough to buy the explosives they need? And if not, shouldn't they steal from an armory or wherever it is that demolitions professionals store their explosives?

[bettername2come]

I loved the original as a kid. And as an adult. I like Ben. I don't hate the idea of his fiancée being his Al, but I kind of wish they'd kept that from the audience for a few eps and made it a reveal for us when it's revealed to Ben. I think it's interesting to see more people working for the project, but I think it's a little too busy. I don't want to get too involved with the other characters there; I'd really like to keep it to like 2 scenes in the present day and keep them focused on the "why did Dr. Song go rogue?" aspect and don't muddle that plot or make me try to care about personal lives of these people. I am interested in what happened to make Ben take the leap and how he got the code. I assume time travel shenanigans interfered from the future.

Not gonna lie, I was not all that interested in the heist plot or the wife with kidney disease, but my inner Joan of Arcadia fan is always happy to see Michael Welch earn a paycheck and I liked his character well enough to want him to live. 

I'm disappointed to hear that Scott Bakula won't be appearing, although I'm glad it's keeping that show's continuity. 

[marketdoctor]

I liked it, but also thought it could have been better in spots.  

Liked:

How they gave some explanation for Ben jumping into the accelerator.

That Ziggy's new code had some bugs, so they could reverse dues ex machina it.

Some of the reverse lampshading:  "This is going to sound crazy, but..."

Ernie Hudson! 

That Ben could speak Romanian and "several other languages"; that fit that people on the project were smart (if not always good at making decisions.)

The dance sequence at the robbery.

Most of the acting generally

Disliked:

The O.G. Quantum Leap team was MORE THAN TWO PEOPLE; find some of the others.  Maybe this is coming.

The bad guys had a very Batman (1966) plot, to...rob a bank in order to buy a fake that would let them steal a diamond that everyone would see them stealing?  Also, robbing a bank in D.C, which has a LOT of police, but apparently only 3 cop cars available?  (Handwaving that as it was Virginia or Maryland's suburbs.)

The relative lack of chemistry between the leads, as a newly engaged couple.  They could have kept it co-workers, or one of them having a secret crush on the other,

The secret reason for leaping, where he was leaving a vague video message instead of getting to the point, especially if that point could protect the woman he loves.

Jury's out:

I didn't like that project Quantum Leap was abandoned, but it would fit if Sam Beckett died on one of his leaps, and also that this is what they'd be building to.  Also it fit that they were under budget scrutiny in the O.G. series.

Ziggy as a super-Google.

Is the evil leaper still a thing?  Was she behind the bank robbery?  (Probably not; when she and Sam touched, they could see each other.)

Is the Hope Diamond no longer stolen?  I'd like it established that Ben is changing their history line.  This would also create doubt in non-Project people, e.g. "what do you mean the Hope Diamond was stolen?"

[KaveDweller]

16 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

PS: If I were Ben's fiancee, I'd be furious he took my spot as the leaper.

She has so many reasons to be furious with him. He took her spot, he abandoned her, he'd clearly been lying/hiding something from her for awhile, he put her job in danger by putting the whole project in danger. I'm sure I'm missing something.

8 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I always thought the pilot of the original was a confusing mess, and if you didn't already understand the concept you would have been totally lost. So in comparison I thought they did a better job here. The original pilot started off with Sam waking up as someone else and the audience was just as baffled as he was. There was no present-day story or characters and Al was being very cagey about what info he could reveal to Sam. Also, Sam had no memory whatsoever, so that's consistent with Ben's amnesia in the new version's pilot.

SyFy aired the original pilot recently and it was very confusing. But part of that was, Sam was confused and we saw everything through his eyes. So we learned about the plot of the show as it developed. This also let them make things up as they went along. They probably didn't have all the rules of the universe established in the original pilot, so the amnesia let them just not mention them.

8 hours ago, Boofish said:

I liked it; thought it was comfort TV.  The part I didn't get is this (and I didn't watch the original version) If he had no idea who he was, when he looked in all mirrors and saw the reflection of  the person he was supposed to be how did he realize he looked different. He couldn't see himself right? He saw the person he "leaped" into. That part made no sense to me.

Maybe he just knew it didn't look right? That happened in the original too. Sam had amnesia in the pilot and when he looked in the mirror he knew it wasn't him.

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

So... the person he leaps into... where are they? Do they disappear while he's in there? Do they remember anything when he leaves? It seems like there'd be some ethical issues with borrowing someone's body and this show doesn't even seem to consider the person leaped into.

This actually never made sense in the original. He doesn't leap into someone else's body. He still has his own body. That is why Sam was able to father a child while leaping and why he could walk in the episode where he leaped into an amputee. But leaping just does some fancy quantum physics things that makes everyone think they see the other person. Except children under 5 who see the real person. And I think animals?

Edited September 20, 2022 by KaveDweller

[Sarah 103]

19 hours ago, Skooma said:

Also at the end we are told (black end card) Sam Beckett died in 2021.  I did read that right, correct?  (And how would the current leaper team know that anyway)?  In the show they mention Al died in 2021 (as in died "last year" after id'ing this is 2022 in convo about daughter).  So these leaps are about both Sam and Al dying in same year? 

Sam is still alive and leaping around in time. Al died in 2021 (as way to honor Dean Stockwell, the actor who played him).

8 hours ago, Boofish said:

Also of all the things he could go back and do, all the people he could save - why this guy? 

Because fate, god, the universe, or whoever/whatever is controlling the leaps put him there. Ben, like Sam, doesn't get to decide who he leaps into. The leaps happen, and then he has to complete his mission to leap out and into the next mission. 

4 hours ago, Starchild said:

Speaking of discrepancies, the original premise was that he needs to make a positive change to the life of the person whose body he inhabits. Not some other random guy. In the original, if he was supposed to "save" the guy with the sick wife, he would have leaped into that guy's body, not the undercover cop.

Sam needed to make a positive change. Sometimes that was accomplished through leaping into someone close to the person he was trying to save. There was an episode set in the early 1960s where he leaps into a young teenage boy in order to save his mother's life. He once leapt into a woman in order to stop her friend/roommate from committing suicide. 

1 minute ago, KaveDweller said:

But leaping just does some fancy quantum physics things that makes everyone think they see the other person. Except children under 5 who see the real person. And I think animals?

You are correct. Children under 5, animals, and the mentally challenged (not sure what the proper term for it is today, so this is what I'm going with). 

[arc]

18 minutes ago, marketdoctor said:

The bad guys had a very Batman (1966) plot, to...rob a bank in order to buy a fake that would let them steal a diamond that everyone would see them stealing?  Also, robbing a bank in D.C, which has a LOT of police, but apparently only 3 cop cars available?  (Handwaving that as it was Virginia or Maryland's suburbs.)

The cop cars said Philadelphia. 🤷‍♂️

21 minutes ago, marketdoctor said:

Is the Hope Diamond no longer stolen?  I'd like it established that Ben is changing their history line.  This would also create doubt in non-Project people, e.g. "what do you mean the Hope Diamond was stolen?"

Addison filled him in on all the changes to history, including Cole's team getting caught for it. So presumably the Hope Diamond is un-stolen.

Oh, I also felt it was a shame they showed Ben's not-Ben as the reflection right at the start of the episode and then a moment later there was actual Ben in the blurry reflection of the van wall. Commit to your reflection rules! Or paint the van a non-reflective matte, or just don't shoot from an angle that'll show him.

[Boofish]

@possibilities - Hulu and Peacock

[kirkola]

It's hard to really know from the pilot.  But I enjoyed it.  And I was a diehard fan of the original.  The point of the amnesia is that it is "swiss cheese".  Ben should remember some stuff, like his name, and blanking out on others.  And while, fiance whose name I can't remember, may not be someone he recognizes as such...there is obviously a depth of feeling there allowing him to trust her.

What I really want to know about the modern setting is what Magic's story is.   How does his connection to the original series play into it?  Does he remember?  

I enjoyed the little call backs & Easter eggs.  And I appreciate Ben's efforts to play boy scout.  Which, in general, isn't as much fun to play as the bad guy.  But, like Sam, Ben is gonna have to make it fun.

It wasn't perfect.  But it was fun. Just like the original. 

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

Which streamer has it?

In addition to those mentioned above, The Roku channel, which is free, also has it. 

1 hour ago, marketdoctor said:

I didn't like that project Quantum Leap was abandoned, but it would fit if Sam Beckett died on one of his leaps, and also that this is what they'd be building to.  Also it fit that they were under budget scrutiny in the O.G. series.

I didn't mind that but I'm also someone who liked the original ending--as sad as it may have been. 

But I think it would make sense that the project was abandoned.  The finale heavily implied that Sam now had control over his leaps which is why he went to Al's wife.  And it also implies that he didn't need a "host" any longer.  He was leaping as himself.

If there's no connection with the current day, then they have no idea where he is and don't even know if he's alive.  At some point, they probably put an end to it when they couldn't solve the issue of recovery.  But maybe some new president came in and this is something that intrigues them and it started again.

I believe I read somewhere what a sixth season would have looked like.  I'll put it in spoilers even though I'm not sure if they're going to follow the pattern. It's suggested by an alternative ending to the series.

Spoiler

Al was going to start leaping to try to find Sam.  So this "lost Sam" may have been what happened.

[DoctorAtomic]

22 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I liked it well enough. I didn't love it but they had a lot to set up. I like the twist of the person helping Sam be Al's daughter.

For a pilot though, they got through the exposition well enough. I was surprised how tightly they tied to the original with Sam on the first title card and an actual picture of him. When they were talking at the end about the ring, I was happily surprised it was Al's daughter. Which means Sam's ending to tell Beth to wait, and Al having a happy family still happened. I mean, I can't imagine Bakula isn't going to show up. Why else would Ben hastily make the leap with all the new code from Al's daughter? 

I kind of wish there were a couple of more easter eggs, like 'swiss cheesed' and 'oh boy!' They kind of did at the end. I do like Ben's 'hidden' skills with knowing a lot of languages like Sam knew how to do play piano, etc. 

I did like that Addison was 'supposed' to leap. I hope we learn why because unless she also has secret skills, I'm not seeing why her being there would have been a better outcome. 

22 hours ago, stonehaven said:

I will say the very idea that the project would be abandoned and someone would deliberately walk away from trying to bring Sam home, royally pissed me off...as it goes against some of the cannon of the original series.

They tried really hard for a long time with no result, and their funding got cut. They certainly couldn't send another leaper in after Sam with so much uncertainty. Al had to go in front of the Senate committee for funding in the original. 

9 hours ago, iMonrey said:

They really failed to explain why it was so important to save this guy's life.

The guy made a desperate choice and paid for it with his life. Thanks to Ben, he was able to have a family and own his restaurant again. Sometimes the original was just as low key. There was one about a guy and his dad who were trying to get a taxi medallion. Sam helped them get it, and they just had their own company together. Sometimes that's enough.

For a first leap, when Addison was supposed to be the leaper, and the new code jammed into Ziggy, all the sloppiness seemed fine to me. I did like that the team was smart enough to just look things up and make some decent guesses. You didn't have that in "1995" in the original. 

I totally forgot about the waiting room. It would be hilarious if Matt actually did pop into like the break room or something and no one knew. 

[AnimeMania]

I am not sure why Ben thought his mission was to save some smuck who thought committing crimes is the best way to solve your financial troubles. I would have assumed that my mission was to stop the bomb from exploding or at least stop it from hurting anybody.

[bamlou]

I'm feeling the same mixed sentiments as many on this thread about the show. Of all shows to reboot, this has been the one that's left me both with worry and delight to watch because the original is one of those touchpoints from my childhood that I didn't really want them to attempt, and yet it's such a great concept that can go so many new places today that I couldn't help but be excited to see where they went with it.

There was a lot to like, it was nice that it was pretty faithful with the original show's cannon, and I see the potential. It was just an overly busy pilot, so I hope in future episodes it will calm dawn - and focus more of the story on the past wrong that must be righted, rather than the present team's attempts to work out the mystery of why Ben leaped and who he was secretly working with.

I did enjoy the scenes of the team (and the team itself is likeable), but it felt like a very modern TV show trope to add them in, when the draw of the original show for me was the discovery of each leap and the everyday people and time periods that Sam had to adjust to - it was a very human drama and the sci-fi stuff was always present but more in the background (and cool when it popped up!). So I hope it doesn't get too high concept (or go too far down the worn path of conspiracies, secrets, or shadowy organizations).

And maybe I'm too nostalgic for the original, but for future episodes there better be a theme song! (and am I asking too much for a saga cell intro too?). That always just set the right tone to start off each episode, and it was touches like that (along with that signature 'leap' effect that here felt like an afterthought, the opening of the imaging chamber door, the 'oh boy' also mentioned just above, the kooky handlink sound effects...) which I was kinda missing since it all added to the fun and fantasy of the original for me. 

But I'm nitpicking, and get that they're going for something maybe more sophisticated (and maybe a bit more action-driven?). I'm in for the ride regardless and curious enough to see how this version evolves over the next few episodes.

[KaveDweller]

28 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

If there's no connection with the current day, then they have no idea where he is and don't even know if he's alive.  At some point, they probably put an end to it when they couldn't solve the issue of recovery.  But maybe some new president came in and this is something that intrigues them and it started again.

  Reveal spoiler

Al was going to start leaping to try to find Sam.  So this "lost Sam" may have been what happened.

Yes, if they lost contact with Sam, they wouldn't have been able to justify keeping the project going forever How would they even know if he was alive or if he was helping anyone? It sucks, but in reality that's likely what would happen.

It would be nice to get more details, but I don't know if we will get it since I'm sure they want to set up the new cast.

[Irlandesa]

I forgot to mention that it was nice Deborah Pratt is around to at least do the opening voiceover.  I miss the theme song, though.

[DoctorAtomic]

16 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

Yes, if they lost contact with Sam, they wouldn't have been able to justify keeping the project going forever How would they even know if he was alive or if he was helping anyone? It sucks, but in reality that's likely what would happen.

There's no doubt Al would have twisted every arm and called in every favor he could, but at some point if there wasn't any *tangible evidence* to point to, then it would eventually have been shuttered. 

The real question is, why did it get restarted? Because you need to convince someone to green light that budget. The 'most powerful AI in the world is guzzling down a ton of energy, not to mention what's needed for cooling. 

I forgot to add, I did like that Live Aid was on when Ben was faffing about in the van. 

Edited September 21, 2022 by DoctorAtomic

[LoveLeigh]

5 hours ago, CeeBeeGee said:

Uh...the original show was extremely "woke," whatever that's supposed to mean. 

If you don't know what it means, how do you know it was "woke?" lol You made me laugh, thanks. 

"The supporting players, particularly Park, add a fresh element to the show, which needs to get going soon — or face a fate that Ben will be able to save only if he “leaps” into the body of an NBC programming executive hellbent on saving this new fall series from extinction."

from: a review 

[KaveDweller]

45 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

There's no doubt Al would have twisted every arm and called in every favor he could, but at some point if there wasn't any *tangible evidence* to point to, then it would eventually have been shuttered. 

The real question is, why did it get restarted? Because you need to convince someone to green light that budget. The 'most powerful AI in the world is guzzling down a ton of energy, not to mention what's needed for cooling. 

That is a good question, why would they restart a very expensive project that ultimately failed? Someone could have a theory for how to improve it I guess, but the project was top secret, so how would anyone have had the source material to even look into it?

I like to think that is Sam took control of his own leaping he would have found a way to send a message to Al telling him. 

[Guest]

I thought it was a decent enough pilot but I will always be predisposed to liking the concept. So much is dependent on the right lead and Ben hit the right notes of sincerity. I liked Addison but think I would prefer if Jenn as the guide just because she has a little more of an edge that would be fun. Of course, introducing the team gives them the ability to sub in other guides occasionally which could be fun. 

I liked the mystery elements, call backs to the original and decision to include Al’s daughter. They better have a plan to a least get Scott Bakula as a guest star at some point. They can’t have the specter of Sam hanging of the show without paying it off eventually. 

21 hours ago, LoveLeigh said:

This seems to be more of an effort to create a "woke" version than to create a series that even remotely follows the masterpiece it is named after. 

The original version was extremely “woke” for the time. So far this one isn’t at all. 

13 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

That is a good question, why would they restart a very expensive project that ultimately failed? Someone could have a theory for how to improve it I guess, but the project was top secret, so how would anyone have had the source material to even look into it?

I have no problem with the idea they would restart it when you consider what could be done if they could succeed.